Four FBISD decathlon teams advance to State

Published 6:00 pm, Monday, February 10, 2003

Based on their scores at the Region VIII Decathlon contest, the academic decathlon teams from Clements, Elkins, Kempner and Dulles High Schools will be vying for the state's top honor in the academic contest. The 40 teams selected to compete were either regional winners or among the top scoring teams in the state.

The purposes of the Academic Decathlon are to encourage students to develop a greater respect for knowledge, to promote wholesome competition in academic areas of study and interest, to stimulate intellectual growth and achievement, and to encourage public interest and awareness of outstanding programs in our schools. Academic Decathlon is unique because it is open to students from all academic backgrounds.

Preparation and competition take place among a broad base of high school students. Each nine-member team consists of three Honor (A average) students, three Scholastic (B average) students and three Varsity (C average) students. These categories are determined by grade point average. Students must also be well rounded to earn good scores in the Decathlon.

Competition includes six tests of academic strength, three demonstrations of communication ability, and the Super Quiz - a written test and a team event before a large audience. In addition to an interview (seven minutes), an essay (one hour), and two speeches (four minutes prepared and two minutes impromptu), written comprehensive exams are given in Economics, Art, Language and Literature, Mathematics, Science, Music and the written Super Quiz.

The final event is the Super Quiz Relay. All students converge and one student from each school reports to the floor to be tested. Five questions are asked of this group of students, followed by a second group of students until nine rounds are completed.

"It's great having four teams go to state!" said Crystal Kitagawa, who coaches the Clements team along with Calvin Sommer. "We have a lot of support from our teachers on campus and from the administration at regional and district meets and this makes a difference. The students over the years have experienced a great deal of satisfaction knowing that they have tackled a tremendous amount of knowledge about a variety of subjects. The best part of the competition is in seeing the cooperation and respect that team members find from each other. The result is lifelong memories, knowledge and friendships."

Paula Jay, one of the coaches of the Elkins High School decathlon team, enjoys the academic aspect of the competition. "With the state and nation emphasizing academics, the Decathlon is one way for students to go beyond the minimum standards. The academic level needed to advance shows how much time and effort these students are willing to devote to learning and teamwork."

But Jay says that the academic benefits aren't the only ones she sees. "Every year I have had at least one student who has become more than he ever dreamed he could become. Decathlon proved to be the spark that brought them out of a shell or turned them into a team player or showed them the fun in just learning. Decathlon gives something unique to each participant that is not available for them anywhere else."